Sunday, March 29, 2015

Samsun Judo Grand Prix 2015 - DAY 3

SAMSUN IS OVER, NEXT STEP WILL BE ZAGREB, CROATIA

The Samsun Grand Prix 2015 came to a riveting
finale as the heavyweights went toe-to-toe on the third day at the Yasar
Dogu Sports Arena on Sunday. The remaining 156 athletes competed for
the title of Grand Prix winner. This Grand Prix concluded the first part
of the year as the next IJF World Judo Tour event will take place in
Croatia with the Zagreb Grand Prix 2015, from May 1 to 3, with April
being traditionally dedicated to the continental championships.

Mr. Vladimi Barta said: “Today was the last day of
competition in Samsun. The event is a great success. We had really good
judo over the weekend. We can particularly underline that today we had
many fighters in the havy weight categories and that the level was
really good. I was impressed by the French Malonga, in -78kg, who
demonstrated all her tallent today and who is very promissing for the
future.“

In the upcoming days, the IJF will remain in Turkey and
work together with the Turkish Judo Federation to promote judo and its
educational values, through the Judo for Peace program, in the South of
the Country and in Refugee Camps on the Syrian Border. Mr. Fatuh YUSAL,
the Turkish Judo Federation President, said: “We have two coaches in
that region, who started to teach judo one year ago to the Syrian
children who escaped from the war in their country. 300 children are
already involved. We now have a contract with the Sport Department to
promote judo and its values. This is a very sensitive project and we
consider that for us it is important to use judo to help those children
to get a better life. Maybe new champions will emerge from this group in
the future. There are more than 20 refugee camps sitting on the border
with thousands of people living in difficult conditions. Our Sports
Ministry wants to promote judo as well as other sports.

The judo federation is one of the first one to be
involved. As an IJF member it is important to be associated with the
International Judo Federation and the Judo for Peace commission. We are
very happy that the IJF is working with us on that project. The children
have a very good motivation.“

WOMEN

-78kg: Malonga a Step Ahead of Everybody

The final opposed Madeleine MALONGA (FRA), who proved
today in Samsun that she might represent the future generation of French
champions. Until the final she spent a little bit more than four
minutes in total on the tatami, winning without any problem her three
preliminary fights by ippon, especially against the top seeded athlete,
Luise MALZZAHN (GER) in the semi-final scoring a waza-ari, immediately
followed by an immobilisation. In the final she was opposed to Natalie
POWELL (GBR), winner of the Astana Grand Prix 2014 and already silver
medallist last year here in Turkey.

After one minute, both athletes had received one shido
each even if MALONGA seemed more fresh and precise in her attacks. This
was confirmed a little bit later, when the French judoka finally could
score with her ample uchi-mata for yuko, which she immediately followed
on the floor for osae-komi for ippon.

Madeleine MALONGA said: “That was a fantastic day for
me. I felt really good and particularly concentrated. I was not afraid
of anybody and my mental made the difference today. the category is very
strong in France, with Audrey Tcheumeo being world number one. But
Lucie Louette went in the upper category and now she is injured. So
everything can happen. I will continue to train hard.“

The first bronze medal fight opposed the silver
medallist of the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam 2014 Victoriia TURKS (UKR) and the
2013 world champion from North Korea, SOL Kyong. But SOL having been
disqualified in the previous round, the victory went to Victoriia TURKS.

In the second bronze medal contest Maike ZIECH (GER)
faced her teammate Luise MALZAHN (GER), winner of last year’s edition of
the Samsun Grand Prix. Giving no chance to her opponent, MALZAHN
defeated her with ko-soto-gake for waza-ari followed with an
immobilisation for ippon.

+78kg: China Confirms its Supremacy over the Category

World number six and top seeded athlete, Nihel CHEIKH
ROUHOU (TUN), confirmed to be the favourite of the competition by
entering the final of the last women’s category of the event. China have
a strong tradition of women’s heavyweight competitors and also placed
its athlete in the final. Last week, it was YU Song who won the Tbilisi
Grand Prix. In Samsun it is MA Sisi who faced the Tunisian to top the
medal podium.

A first attempt to score with a shoulder movement by
the Tunisian was easily blocked by the Chinese fighter, who looked
stronger. But then CHEIKH ROUHOU scored a beautiful yuko with a
ura-nage. But that was not enough to win today in the women’s
heavyweight category and MA Sisi took the opportunity of a small mistake
of the Tunisian to immobilise her for ippon.

The first bronze medal fight opposed the winner of 2013
Tashkent and Almaty Grand Prix, Gulzhan ISSANOVA (KAZ) and Jasmin
KUELBS (GER), who was defeated by the Chinese in the semi-final. The
German athlete won the medal on penalties.

The second bronze medal contest took place between KIM
Jiyoun (KOR), who was not among the favourites of the competition and
the silver medallist of the last European Championships in Montpellier
last year, Larisa CERIC (BIH). Only 10 seconds were required for KIM to
score a first yuko with an opportunistic de-ashi-barai. The Korean was
able to keep that advantage until the end of the fight to win the bronze
medal.

MEN

-90kg: VAN T END Adds One Line to his Prize List

Noel VAN T END (NED) once again entered the final of a
World Judo Tour event, confirming his top seed position. Already the
winner of the Qingdao Grand Prix last year, and second in Abu Dhabi and
in Baku (both are Grand Slams), the Dutch fighter demonstrated all of
his talent today on the Turkish tatami. In the final, he was probably
expecting to meet his teammate, Guillaume ELMONT, but he was defeated in
the preliminary rounds. Thus VAN T END faced the silver medallist of
the Zagreb Grand Prix 2014, Aleksandar KUKOLJ (SRB).

The first attack came from VAN T END after a few second
with one-hand-shoulder movement for no score. Continuing to attack, he
made his opponent being penalised for passivity. KUKOLJ was again
penalised for a gripping error. Just after half of the final had
elapsed, VAN T END concluded the first real opportunity with a
ko-uchi-gari for waza-ari, which was actually transformed into a yuko by
the video refereeing.

Noel VAN T END said: “I am really happy of my
competition day. Everything went well. It’s good to be back on the top
of the podium. I had the pressure to be the top seeded athlete of the
category, but actually that didn’t bother me at all. It was even an
extra motivation. After Düsseldorf where I didn’t perform, this is a
very good result for me.“

The first bronze medal fight saw the winner of the 2013
Tashkent Grand Prix, Sherali JURAEV (UZB) and the bronze medallist of
the European Championships in 2013, Karolis BAUZA (LTU), fighting for a
place on the podium. As none of the fighters were able to score
anything, the victory went to Sherali JURAEV by a penalty. The Dutch
judoka did not take too much time to add a second yuko with his homemade
one-hand-seoi-nage to add a first victory to his prize list in 2015.

The second bronze medal fight opposed Islam BOZBAYEV
(KAZ) and Li KOCHMAN (ISR). Both athletes were not among the favourites
of the category. After one minute and 10 seconds, BOZBAYEV produced his
first effort with a morote-seoi-nage, which started from a distance, but
concluded with a yuko. Then the Kazakh was penalised with a shido for
stepping outside of the fighting area, after having already received a
first penalty for passivity. The situation started to become a little
complicated when BOZBAYEV received a third penalty with one minute and
27 seconds remaining on the clock, but a superb action-reaction
ippon-ko-uchi gari for waza-ari, gave him a bit of fresh air. The last
thirty seconds were very difficult for the Kazakh, but he could maintain
his advantage.

-100kg: FREY Passes PETERS but not GASIMOV

In the men’s -100kg category the favourite of the
competition was Elmar GASIMOV (AZE) and he confirmed this by entering
the final, where he was opposed to the world bronze medallist
Karl-Richard FREY (GER), who this time defeated his teammate and Olympic
bronze medallist Dimitri PETERS.

FREY was penalised with a shido for a wrong grip and
then both athletes were penalised for passivity, giving a small
advantage to GASIMOV. But with the Azeri fighter being also penalised
for passivity, it was time for golden score. Anything was possible from
there. Finally after a last attack from GASIMOV, countered by FREY, but
again countered by GASIMOV, the Azeri could score a waza-ari and showed
his joy after a very tough fight.

The first bronze medal fight opposed the winner of the
2013 Moscow Grand Slam, Javad MAHJOUB (IRI), and Dimitri PETERS (GER).
But the German, already very experienced at that level gave no chance to
his opponent. After having scored a yuko with a counterattack on
tani-otoshi, he concluded with an armlock for ippon.

In the second bronze medal fight the Belgian Toma
NIKIFOROV (BEL) defeated by PETERS in the quarter final, was opposed to
Arsen OMAROV (RUS), who was not among the favourites. NIKIFOROV could be
a little disappointed as OMAROV seemed to be beatable, but totally
exhausted he could not avoid bring penalised three times before OMAROV
scored a yuko with a counterattack. The three penalties received by
Russian did not change the final results, the bronze medal going to
OMAROV.

+100kg: JABALLAH is Back

The final of the men’s heavyweight category opposed the
two favourites of the competition, world number two, Rafael Silva from
Brazil and Faicel JABALLAH from Tunisia, who was happy to come back at
this level after his defeat at the first round of the Düsseldorf Grand
Prix in February.

Being passive, the Tunisian was the first one to be
penalised with a shido. It was then time to penalise both athletes for
passivity as they were just opposing force against force. But Silva also
got penalised two times, the advantage going to JABALLAH, who
maintained the shido difference until the final gong.

Faicel JABALLAH said: “It’s a very good result for me. I
needed that for my personal motivation. In Düsseldorf I wasn’t good but
here I found the necessary ressources to make my way to the top of the
podium. The next important event for me will be the African
Championships in Gabon, but my objective is the Olympic podium.“

The first bronze medal fight opposed Iurii KRAKOVETSKII
(KGZ) and Ushangi KOKAURI (AZE) who were not among the eight top seeded
athletes of the category. Five minutes were not enough to decide the
winner, it was time for golden score and a last false attack by KOKAURI
gave the victory to Iurii KRAKOVETSKII.

The second bronze medal contest saw BOR Barna (HUN),
winner of last year’s Astana Grand Prix, and Iakiv KHAMMO (UKR) fighting
for a place on the podium. The two penalties given to KHAMMO were
enough to offer the bronze medal to BOR Barna.